Last Minute Ideas That Don’t Look It
Hollow out artichokes
or red delicious apples to hold votive candles.
If you run out of name
tags, simply write the recipient’s name along the ribbon ends of the bow. Or cut
up last year’s Christmas cards into gift tag sizes and punch a hole in one
corner. Attach to package.
The prettiest ornaments can be the simplest.
Dip Christmas balls into white semi-gloss latex enamel so that the bottom half
is covered with a snow-like bottom.
If you’ve run out of wrapping paper
and there’s one more gift to wrap, use the comic pages from the newspaper, or a
child’s artwork, leftover wallpaper, a map, shelf paper or magazine pages taped
together in an interesting and colorful collage.
With a gold pen, draw
swirls of pattern on glass balls and pile them into a glass bowl for a
centerpiece.
Dress up house plants with ribbons or large tassels tied
around pots.
Use richly textured wide ribbon for an absolutely beautiful
table runner. If the ribbon isn’t wide enough, use several strips to make the
width you want.
Use small, all-white creamers, pitchers or mugs to hold
bunches of greens at each place setting.
If your family includes small
children, decorate a gingerbread house for your centerpiece and surround it with
dollhouse figures.
And finally, if you don’t have time for
spray-painting, stenciling, sewing or even tying ribbons around curtains, you
can make a centerpiece right from your kitchen drawers. A bag of round pink new
potatoes, a few bay leaves and straight pins will do the trick. Wrap the leaves
around the center of each potato and secure with a straight pin. Fill a planter
with greens and arrange the pink potatoes on top. Stick in a few of the leaves
here and there to fill out the arrangement which will be a terrific conversation
piece. Or, fill a white bowl with fresh cranberries and stick white tapered
candles in the cranberry bowl.